'His chance came': Burnley boss Vincent Kompany assesses Charlie Taylor's return to the side against Nottingham Forest

The Burnley left-back was a standout performer on Monday during the dramatic 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest.

Prior to that game, the 30-year-old – who celebrated his birthday on the same day – had only made one cup appearance and hadn’t even been included in any of Burnley’s match day squads.

But having remained professional before waiting for his opportunity, the defender took full advantage when a chance came his way.

“The seasoned professionals…at a certain age you know the only reward you get is if you put in the work in training every day, then your chance might come,” Kompany said.

“His chance came and he took it with both hands and we are happy with that.

“You can feel you are sometimes far away from the squad, but in my eyes it’s never the case. It’s a case of timing and momentum, so you always have to be ready and he’s shown that.”

Kompany is also pleased with the squad depth he has at his disposal, with the likes of Dara O’Shea, Vitinho, Jack Cork, Han-Noah Massengo, Nathan Redmond and Jacob Bruun Larsen not even making Burnley’s squad at the City Ground.

“I think it’s key because once the season starts, you’re locked in,” he added.

“There’s one side saying you have to manage the group and keep everyone happy, but there’s another side that says for us it’s better to have too many than not enough.

“They know they have to work hard. Charlie Taylor was a standout performer (against Forest), yet last time he wasn’t even in the squad.

“They know I don’t base my decision on ‘I like this guy’. For me, the main thing is that the team gets better.

“I see every day in training guys that are eventually going to be really good players in this league and it’s that mix.

“We have Mikey Tresor who is showing he can play at this level, we’ve got other players and that will hopefully get us to the next level in the future.”